Pilot attachment for tractors



M'. B. MORGAN. PILOT ATTACHMENT FOR TRACTOH S.

. APPLICATIION FILED JUNE 21, 1919, 1,369,696.

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M. MORGAN.

PILOT ATTACHMENT FOR TRACTORS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 21. 1919.

1,369,696. Patented Feb. 22, 1921.

/ 2 $HEETS-SHEET 2- Pq T . Ii t U T STATES PATEN :fem-Ca MATHEW 3. moneam'or CLEVELAND HEIGETS, o'nio, Assienoa'rooLEviiLaivD HTRACT0RVCOMPANY,' OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, a CORPORATION 0101110..

ingv at ClevelandyHeights, in the county of Cuyahoga and Statefof 'Ohio,have;invented a certainnew andv useful Improvement in Pilot Attachments for Tractors,

of whichv thefollowing. is a full, clear, and

exact description.

This invention relates to pilot wheel attachments for tractors. The objects of the invention are, first, to provide, for the raising and lowering of the pilot wheel, means which maybe easily rendered inoperative and put in an out-of-the-way position, 'or

which may be instantly rendered operative, as desired. Second, to providemeans for easily and quickly connecting the pilot at tachment t'o and disconnecting it from the tractor. H 1

The invention consists. in the construction and combination of parts shown .in the drawings and hereinafter described and pointed out definitely in the appended claims. c

In the drawings, Figure l is a plan view of the invention, said viewshowing, in a fragmentary way, only so much of the tractor as is necessary for the disclosure of the invention; Fig. 2 is a side; elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 1f; Fig. 3 is an .enlarged plan view of the means through which theoperating levermay-be connected with the pilot wheel frame; F ig'. & is an enlarged side elevation of saidmechanism; and F is a vertical sectionin the plane of line 5 5 on .Fig. 1;- and Fig.6 i'sa plan view of a part of rock shaft 2l-and-one I of the split b'earingsleeves thereon.

In the drawing, 10 represents the main frame of the tractor. =T'he 'drivers seat 12 is carried by this main frame near the rear end thereof.

The pilot wheel attachment includes the transversely extended rock shaft 21 mounted in suitable bearing brackets 12,'secur ed 'to the front end of the tractor main frame 10 as will be presently described. This pilot attachment also includes a rigid frame which may comprise in addition to the rock shaft, two members 22, 23. These extend forward and toward the right from opposite ends of the rock shaft 21. In the front end of this pilot frame, which lies well to Specification of LettersPatent. 'f Application filed June 27,1919. Serial N15.

= I the rig rear end of the main frame. pilot attachment is. in use, performing the tached' to the rock shaft. I may now move the rear end of the lever 25 Z rino'r AmTAcnMEN'rroa mamas.

24rismouuted.

25 represents theoperating lever which, at its frontend, loosely 'embracesfthe-rock shaft 21, andextends ;fro1n'the,,r0ck shaft rearward to. aposition where its rear :end

will bewithin more or less'easy reach-of Patented Feb. 22, ;i19 2 l.

it of the frame; the pilot wheel.

the driver, whoseseat-50is secured to the functions for which it is provided, the rock shaft 21 may rock, as it willbecause of the unevenness of the furrow in-whichthe pilot When I the wheel is running, but without-causin'g'any- 1v movement of this operating lever., This-is because under the conditions stated, there is no operative. connection between the lever and rock shaft;,-andj the rear endof said lever rests upon a bracketv 26. .hdok, catch- 27 'lS-PlVOiZi-ld to an adjacent bracket f28,".-

both of'said brackets. being connected with the main frame of .the tractor.. The: posi- .tion ofthe bracket 28 is such that the hook 27 may engage-a part of therea-r end of the lever 25...;Thelever isbent into sub.- stantially the form-shown, its. front end :be-

ing a substantially vertical-.arm25;

A hook-shaped 'arm 30 .is fiXGdi70-I'0.0k

shaft 21, andlexten'ds upwardfan d forward therefrom. A bell crank lever is pivoted to the substantially vertical f-ront .end 25 of the lever 25.; One-arm 31 of this bell crank has a horizontal transverseend 31. for engagement with the arm 30.; .To the other 7 I arm 32 of the bellcrankthe rod 33 is connected.. This extends rearward in". guide- 'ways 25 carried by-the'lever 25 to a .po-

sition Where it may I be conveniently taken hold of and moved endwiseib th d i f' heqtractor. 4

'When the driver wishes to raisethe pilot wheelabove the ground he swings the rear end of saidlever upward, the lever turning.

on the rock shaft 21. As the lever so turns,

the end 31 of the bell crank will first en-- gage. the top'of arm 30,will then slide along on said top, and will. finally'drop down in front of arm 30, there being a spring 35 to cause said bell crank arm to swing in the manner stated.

An operative connection has now been made between the lever and the arm 30 at The operator downward with the result of lifting the pilot wheel frame so as to raise the pilot wheel above the ground. The rear end of said lever 25 may now be engaged and held down by the hook 27. When the pilot frame is to be lowered again into operative position, the driver brings about this 'result by stored -to the inoperative and out-of-the way position described.

In order to facilitate the connection of this pilot frame with the'tractor in the desired relation thereto, and to likewise prevent any lateral movement of the pilot frame after it has been so connected, two split bearing sleeves {10 are clamped around the rock sh'aft21 at suitable places. Each of these sleeves has an externally cylindrical portion 41 which lies between two outwardly extended flanges 42. Brackets 12 are fixed toand project forward from the frontend of the tractor frame. Each bracket has at itsfront end one half 15-of a cylindrical bearing box adapted to fit around the cylindrical part of the sleeve 10 and between the v flanges thereof. Theothen half or cap 16 of this bearing is secured to the part 15 by means of a U-bolt 4-5 which externally embraces the cap and which passes through flanges 17 along the sides of the part 15. To connect and disconnect this entire pilot attachment with'the tractor the operator has merely to screw on or unscrew the four nuts which engage the threaded ends of the ,U-bolts,

Having described my invention, I claim: 1. The combination with a tractor, and a pilot wheel attachment connected therewith,

said connections including a transversely extended rock shaft, which is a part'of the attachment, and bearings which are connected with the tractor frame and in which said rock shaft is mounted for rocking movement, with an operating lever loosely mounted on said rock shaft and extending rearvwardly therefrom, and means controllable 7 from the rear end of the tractor for operatively connecting the rock shaft and lever.

2. The combination with atractor, a pilot wheel attachment connected therewith, said connections including a'transverselyextended, rock shaft, which is a part of the at tachment, and bearings which are connected with the tractor frame and in which said rock shaft is mounted for rocking movement, withan operating lever loosely mounted on said rock shaft and extending rearwardly therefrom, an arm fixed tosaid rock shaft, a lever pivoted to said operatinglever for engagementwith said. arm, and means operable .from the rear end of said'lever for controllingsaid lever to permit or prevent its engagement with said arm."

3. The combination. of ;a tractor, and a pilotattachment pivotally connected therewith, with an operating lever fulcrumed on said attachment, I and means controllable from said tractor for op'eratively connecting and disconnecting thelever and the attachment! 4. The combination of a tractor, and a pilot attachment-pivotally connected there with, with an operating lever- -fulcrumed on said attachment, -mechafiism operatively connecting and disconnecting'the leverl'and the attachment, and' meanscarried by said lever to control said mechanism;

5. The combination of a tractonand. a

pilot attachment pivo'tally connected therewith, with an operating lever 'fulcrumed on said attachment, mechanism for'operativel y connecting the lever with the attachment to raise and lower said attachment and "for disconnecting it to permit the operating end of said lever to be swung out of the way when not in use, and means adapted to secure said lever when swung-out of the way. 6. The combination of a tractor, having a drivers seat near'its rear*end,""a pilot attachment pivotally connecting with the front end of the tractor, an operating lever for elevating said pilot attachment, and j-means operable from the drivers lseatfor connecting and disconnecting the pilot attachment and its operating lever. Y

In testimony wlhereofi iI hereunto 'afiix I 

